Slayer

21st Century Appearances: 2006 Main Stage

The Defining Reading Moment: Closing their swift set with “Raining Blood”.

When considering Reading Festival bands of the 21^st century Slayer don’t immediately come to mind but the bay area thrashers actually played the main stage in 2006 in one of the craziest Sunday line ups that the festival has seen. Mastodon and Killswitch Engage had already torn up the stage earlier setting a heavy tone for the day before chirpy ska punkers Less Than Jake and po-faced teen friendly emo rockers My Chemical Romance sandwiched the band that could possibly be the most metal act to have played the festival, the mighty Slayer.

Tom, Kerry, Jeff & Dave seemed to have pre-emptively scared the crowd, so much so that the area at the front of stage was relatively deserted as people headed for higher ground to avoid what they must’ve believed would be the inevitable mayhem coming at the front of stage. Though not at their best on the day the band still chugged and blistered their way through many of their classics, supporting their latest album Christ Illusion and closing the show with the ever maniacal ‘Raining Blood’. When the dust finally settled if it hadn’t been for the sunshine back-dropping the stage, you’d of been forgiven for thinking the end of the world was coming. Adam McCartney